doorknob
Americannoun
-
doorknobs
plural
Usage
What is a doorknob? A doorknob is the knob or handle used to open and close a door. Doorknobs are common on doors, especially the inside doors of a home, such as the doors of different rooms and closets. These tend to be metal and shaped like a, well, knob—a part that sticks out and has a rounded end. Door handles in other shapes might be called doorknobs, but it’s more likely for them to be called door handles or just handles. Another difference is that doorknobs typically turn. Door handles can turn, but they can also be fixed in place, like a vertical or horizontal bar. A doorknob may also have a lock or keyhole to lock the door with. Example: The mansion was so luxurious that even the doorknobs were made of solid gold.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of doorknob
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In an AI era when attackers can jiggle every virtual doorknob continuously, human defenders don’t stand a chance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Few signs of forced entry were visible on Sunday at the singer's home apart from a broken doorknob, an AFP journalist observed.
From Barron's ● Nov. 17, 2025
Static electricity -- the spark you feel when touching a doorknob or pulling on a sweater -- occurs when electrons build up and discharge suddenly upon contact with a conductor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
"I turn my hearing aids off, deaf as a doorknob, tune everything out, it's really joyful."
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025
“Handle H” turned out to be a knob, rather like a doorknob, with a pin on the end that would fit into “Hole 7” in the wheel.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
Homeowners can opt for heavier doors made of walnut or oak, for instance, and also invest in higher-quality doorknobs and hinges.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
She was a bag of doorknobs, but the movie camera found the gazelle inside the unicorn and captured the joy she radiated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
A company was hired to perform a deep clean of the school’s classrooms, doorknobs and kitchen equipment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025
But the threat was not really lying on countertops and doorknobs.
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
I told him, They are not even nice doorknobs.
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
